Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Revisiting an old favourite: Salmon with a Creamy Orange Sauce and Rosemary

I already posted a recipe for this dish during my early foodblogging days (in July 2005, to be precise). However, it never had a decent photo to illustrate it, plus I've changed the cooking temperatures a little, so I hope you don't mind me writing about it again. Also, I do believe that this fish dish deserves attention. It is an elegant salmon dish, you see, with a lovely creamy, sweet and herby sauce dressing the fish. We had it for dinner last weekend, eating it with some steamed quinoa, and it was a thoroughly satisfying simple meal.

First, remove any pin-bones from the salmon fillets with pliers (see photo below).Put fish fillets into an ovenproof dish, season with a mixture of salt, pepper and rosemary. Cover and let marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge.Mix the single cream with orange juice and pour over the fish.Grill in a pre-heated 200˚C oven for 15 or so minutes, until fish is cooked through and the creamy orange sauce has thickened a little.Transfer the fish onto warm plates and serve with plain rice or quinoa, spooning the extra sauce over the fish.

Wow! I am very pleased not only about the delicious recipe but also about the availability of quinoa in Tallinn! I am also surprised for it grows in the Andean mountains only from 2500mts above the level of the sea, and being such an ancient-traditional-indigenous "pseudo"cereal of countries so very far away from Estonia (Peru, Bolivia, Colombia) I would have never imagined that anybody there would have even tried it. Of course I am not a big foodie so I do not know what is really up...My 11yo son was the one who introduced me to this world of blogs on food. ANYWAY I must say that I was fascinated by your choice! Not a day passes without me looking for your new posts!

I also didn't know quinoa could be steamed. I am really intrigued by the orange sauce. I pair lemon with salmon a lot but orange...must try this!Oh, I loved the last post with all that gorgeous salmon roe!

I enjoy salmon but I must admit to the sin of over cooking my fish. I grew up with fish that was always way over done and adjusting to fish cooked properly is something I have never been able to manage. Yours looks great!

Meeta – orange gives a nice sweet touch to the dish – a nice and refreshing change from lemon!

Lydia – I know :) I made another salmon dish this weekend, using lime. Not sure which citrus I love best with salmon – lemon, orange or lime..

Mariajaan – I bought my quinoa from Scotland last September, but it’s easily available in Tallinn too, at least in the health food/organic shops that seem to be mushrooming these days!

Karolcia – I must admit I would have never thought of pairing salmon with raspberry sauce. Most intriguing…

Rachael – thank you :)

Wendy – well, when I first searched for quinoa recipes, then these always spoke about steaming as opposed to boiling. Basically I take 1 part rinsed quinoa and 2 parts water, add some salt, bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the water has absorbed. Then fluff it up with a fork..

Katie – lemon would be my ‘classic’ choice for salmon, but orange works well, too, as does lime. Haven’t tried with other citrus fruit yet :)

Dagmar – oh, please do give this a go!

Nora B – I’ve actually paired quinoa with salmon before – they make a lovely pairing, I think. Rice can be too heavy, I find.

Lobstersquar – aye :) Salmon is a rather oily fish, so gloves help. The pincers I bought for the fish handling class at the cookery school last autumn. And yes, I learnt to love these gloves while interning at the restaurant :)

Annemarie – that’s hilarious :)

Bradley – I cook mine at 200 celsius and hardly for longer than 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness. It tends to cook perfectly when sticking to these times/temperatures..

Kevin – K. is taking lots of action shots in the kitchen these days :)

Mike – it is tasty indeed!

Meeso – salmon (and trout) are some of my favourite fish, too, though I did love a good seabass and haddock in Scotland, where I knew a brilliant fishmonger.

Ksklein – I’m so happy you enjoyed the dish! I was worried you’d never try another one of my recipes after the cabbage cake incident :)